Kansas basketball: 5 questions the Kansas Jayhawks must answer in 2020
2. Kansas basketball questions: Who will be the Jayhawks’ leading scorer?
There is always roster turnover in college basketball and Kansas is no exception. Seniors Azubuike and Isaiah Moss graduated while Dotson went pro, taking three of the Jayhawks’ top five scorers off the roster.
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Dotson and Azubuike will be particularly painful to replace since they combined for just under 32 points per game and 14.6 rebounds a night. There has always been a bit of a next man up mentality at Kansas, which has a history of seeing someone step up to carry the load when the previous top dog leaves campus.
The Jayhawks have plenty of options to fill the role, with Agbaji and Garrett poised to improve with more minutes and shots. Returners David McCormack and Christian Braun are also capable of more offense with more touches, so it is a possibility as well.
The ideal scenario would be for Thompson to follow the lead of other one-and-dones in recent Kansas basketball history by taking the reins as a freshman. If Thompson can follow the path of a McLemore, for example, it would allow everyone else to work off of him.
Figuring out who the lead guy will be is the biggest challenge Self has this season. There is an external distraction hovering, however, which could derail the season at any time.